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|Location||Northern Wilderland, between the southwest and southeast arms of Erebor|
|Realms||Kingdom of Dale|
|Description||Capital city of the Northmen|
|Events||Sack of Erebor, Battle of Five Armies, Battle of Dale|
Dale was founded by the Northmen who lived near Erebor, probably to benefit from trade with the Dwarves in Erebor, who were seen as an ally. The last Lord of Dale before its destruction by Smaug was Girion.
Dale was destroyed when Smaug descended on the Dwarf-kingdom of Erebor. For one-hundred seventy-two years city lay in ruins, until the Battle of Five Armies. After the battle, Dale was refounded by Bard the Bowman, the descendant of its royal line. Dale was once again a prosperous city. It had a long lasting friendship with the Dwarves of Erebor and the Iron Hills, and the people of Lake-town, trading with them and allying with them in times of war.
During the War of the Ring, the Easterlings attacked the city. Not able to hold the Easterlings back the Men of Dale and their allies, the Dwarves of Erebor, retreated into the the Lonely Mountain, but not without losing both Dale and Erebors' kings Brand and Dáin Ironfoot who were both slain at the gates of the mountain. For seven days the Men and Dwarves barricaded themselves in Erebor until news came from the south of the defeat of Sauron, the new kings of Dale and Erebor (Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm), broke the siege and chased the Easterlings out of Dale. After the siege, the Men of Dale rebuilt Dale, with the help of the Dwarves. Bard also sent an emissary to the coronation of king Elessar.
The word dale means "valley", as it was built in the Celduin valley between two arms of Erebor.
Appearances in Adaptations
- The City of Dale appears in the Erebor map, just southeast of the mountain itself. It appears to contain several houses, taverns and bridges, as well as a statue of a man. The city is built around the mountain's river.